Descending Into The Abyss
by LukeSLD
Summary: Once a proud artist hailing from the City of Navori, Jhin, unfortunately, encountered that one 'bad' day. Hope you enjoy! :D
1. The City of Navori

_***Hey, everyone. I decided to write a fanfiction for Jhin, a character from Leauge of Legends. This is basically the backstory of Jhin and how he, as the title says, descended into the abyss. If you're wondering about my Left 4 Dead 2 story I will continue it eventually, but I'm experimenting right now with this so please understand. Hope you enjoy! :D***_

Ionia was always known as the region of culture and the best art dealers and traders in Runeterra. One of the particularly popular artists was a guy named Jhin who lived with his parents in the city of Navori. Navori was also popular for having various magical creatures around the borders of the city. They were considered the symbol of Navori and that's what made it different from other areas of Ionia. Navori was a mostly peaceful city which had beautiful monuments and landscapes which made it one of the most beautiful cities of Ionia. It was also close to the shore so boats from both Piltover and Zaun could sail to it directly, Zaun could sail to it a little better, though, since they were on the north side of their island where they had a better route to it.

One of the particularly impactful artists was a guy named Jhin who made various commissions, art trades and deals with various people. He was also an amazing artist, as well as a genuinely nice person.

It was a beautiful day at Navori and Jhin decided to take a stroll around the art shops. He saw some particularly nice artwork and he walked up to various galleries before making some actual deals.

Art dealer (looking up to Jhin): "Ah, hello there, good sir, can I interest you in my fine paintings and frames?"

Jhin (examining the material and stock): "I appreciate the warm welcome. I'm just eyeing these frames, I might need some brass frames, any chances you have these?"

Art dealer (turning around and looking at his stock): "It's your lucky day, sir, we got some fresh ones, brand new delivered straight from Demacia."

Jhin (refreshing and calm): "Ah, those are the best kind, I will take exactly 4 of them, please."

Art dealer: "That will be 20 gold coins."

Jhin offers up a small bag full of gold coins.

Art dealer (thankfully and cheerfully while checking the bag): "Thank you very much for your purchase. If you decide to come back, you're always welcome."

Jhin (cheerfully): "Thank you, have a nice day."

Jhin takes the frames and gives a small bow. The art dealer nods and gets back to work serving the next customer.

Jhin takes his frames and decides to buy some new brushes and pallets.

Jhin (thinking): "I do have some money saved up so I'm just gonna refresh my inventory."

Jhin was going to a nearby paint tool store which he visits regularly until a fresh painting from a nearby art gallery caught his eye. It was clearly painted recently. He saw some interesting details and he decided to walk up to the gallery. The dealer at the gallery was a young woman who was the owner of the shop. She had no customers serving so Jhin walked up to the counter.

Jhin: "Good day."

The woman: "Hello, sir, what can I do for you?"

Jhin (pointing at the painting): "I was eyeing your painting on the wall, over here. I can tell it's fresh. What is it about?"

The painting had some kind of treasure or gold pile under a throne which had a very detailed human on top of it dressed like a king surrounded by skeletons dressed like peasants and villagers who were offering their food, gold or any valuable belongings to the king.

The woman: "Oh, this? This is a concept I thought of when I started reading books of old rulers of these lands. They were very unwilling to help the population. They often didn't care about the poor people and just started charging people insane fines for basically no reason."

Jhin (intrigued): "Very interesting, any chance this is for sale, it's giving me some inspiration."

The woman (surprised): "I didn't think anyone would be willing to buy this, how much are you willing to give for it?"

Jhin (reaching into his bag): "Anything you offer."

The woman (thinking): "What about 50 gold?"

Jhin (pulling out a few coins worth 10 gold each): "Here you are, appreciate your politeness. Also, keep creating art, you have amazing potential."

The woman (waving Jhin goodbye): "Thank you very much, kind sir. Enjoy the rest of your day!"

Jhin set out to the art tool store he was heading to earlier. He opened the door and entered the store. He noticed an art dealer who was sitting in a chair reading a book and waiting for customers. Nobody besides the dealer was in the room.

Jhin (waving his hand to the store dealer): "Arslan!"

Arslan (putting his book down): "Ah, Jhin!"

The two friends went up and shared a handshake.

Arslan: "Welcome, welcome. What can I interest you in?"

Jhin: "I could use a refresh of every kind of brush and brand new pallets. I'm willing to give any gold you offer."

Arslan: "Okay, let me see. (picking up every kind of brush and new pallets in his stock) what about these?"

Jhin: "These look perfect. I'll take them."

Arslan: "Great. (heading to his counter) That will be 125 gold, please."

Jhin (handing the gold to him): "Here you go."

Arslan (happily): "Thank you very much, my friend. If you any need any equipment, find me."

Jhin (starting to pick his items up): "I always will, thank you!"

Jhin left the shop with his equipment and went back to his house to start painting. On his way to the house, he saw some art dealers and painters he knew and he chatted with them. After all, Jhin was pretty popular in his hometown. He eventually arrived at his house and he opened the front door.

Jhin's father: "Ah, son, you're here. You had a commissioner come in today while you were out. Your mother has the order."

Jhin (with a small bow): "Thank you, father."

Jhin walks up the stairs to the second floor and notices his mother.

Jhin: "Mother, father told me we had a commissioner today, mind giving me the details?"

Jhin's mother: "Of course, son, here, I wrote it for you in this letter."

Jhin (with a small bow): "Thank you, I'll go to my room and begin."

Jhin walked into his room and closed the door behind him. His room was neat and clean. He had a big window with the sun shining into the room, creating a beautiful atmosphere. The bed was well organized and there was a closet in the corner filled with neatly hung up clothes inside. He had some chests lying around here and there which were used for storing his art supplies. There was a big wooden easel in the middle of the room which had a chair in front of it. Various paintings were hung up on the wall and were lined up on the sides of the wall. The scent of a fresh canvas and new frames fresh delivered filled the room with a pleasant aroma.

Jhin breathed in the morning air and the aroma around his room in a big breathe in and decided to sit down in his chair and opened the letter.

The commissioner decided to stay anonymous. It was understandable for some people not wanting their name revealed and Jhin understood that.

It seemed like a pretty simple commission. The commissioner wanted a pink orchid tree planted at the top of a hill with waterfalls in the background. Jhin started with a few lines for the landscape.

***A bit later.***

Jhin noticed that he nearly finished in less than 3 hours and was happy with his work. He felt like the commissioner would be very pleased with the result. In the letter, it said that Jhin should leave the painting in a nearby art gallery Jhin visited a few times in the last few days. The commissioner would then pick up the painting from the art gallery, as well as leave money so the commission would stay anonymous. Jhin followed the commissioner's instructions and delivered the painting to the art gallery. After 2 days he picked up the money from the art gallery. This was basically how Jhin would paint his paintings and take commissions. He spends a lot of time and effort on them and he was genuinely happy with his overall lifestyle. A few days after his latest commission Jhin decided to visit other parts of Runeterra. He had been to Demacia a few times before and he immediately fell in love with their frame making skills. He decided to visit Demacia again by ship to go over the sea and then by a chariot that he would pay for to ride from the shores of Zaun all the way to Demacia. By buying more supplies recently, Jhin has been preparing for the trip that would come up in a few days. One morning, Jhin was packing some items into his backpack which led his father to be curious.

Jhin's father (curiously): "Oh, Jhin, are you preparing for a trip?"

Jhin (putting his backpack on his back): "Yes, father, apologies for not mentioning it earlier, I needed to prepare for the trip."

Jhin's father (reassuring): "Ah, no trouble, be safe and have a nice trip, my son."

Jhin (with a small bow): "Thank you, father."

Jhin stepped out of his house and saw a chariot with 2 horses and a charioteer waiting for him to board it.

Jhin (apologetic): "So sorry for the wait, sir, I couldn't find some equipment for a while."

Charioteer: "No trouble, hop in and we're off to the docks."

Jhin (placing his backpack and bags at the back of the chariot): "Alright, I'm ready, let's hit the road.

The charioteer whipped his ropes and the horses started to move the chariot. Jhin quickly caught a glance of his mother waving him goodbye from a window on the second floor of his house. He waved back. He knew this trip would be one of his best yet.

_***End of Chapter 1.**_

_**The 2nd chapter will most likely be up Sunday or next week, depending on how busy I am. Thank you if you read this and I hope you enjoyed! :D***_


	2. The Festival

_***Chapter 2, I spent quite a bit of time on this, so hope you enjoy! :D***_

The road was mostly straight with very little narrow turns or obstacles in the way. The charioteer was navigating the roads very successfully. Jhin was just staring out of the window and imagining how the beautiful countryside of Ionia could inspire his artistic sense. He was already seeing the beautifully sculpted structures engraved into buildings. Demacia was especially popular for its construction and sculpting skills. This was another reason why Jhin liked Demacia because construction can be viewed as art, too. Eventually, the chariot made it to the docks and Jhin got off.

Jhin (thankfully and with a small bow): "I appreciate the ride very much, sir."

The charioteer: "No trouble, young man, you should hurry, you might be late for your ship ride."

Jhin waved goodbye to the charioteer and hurried to the docks. He saw several different boats, each having different signs in front of them saying "Zaun", "Piltover" and "Bilgewater". Jhin eventually found his boat heading to Zaun. It was a steamboat, it looked pretty comfortable. There was a woman checking tickets for entering the ship. She was also selling tickets for entering.

Jhin (cheerfully): "Greetings, ma'am. I would like 1 ticket, please."

The woman (politely): "Certainly, sir. Mind I ask where you're headed?"

Jhin: "Oh, I'm gonna visit the art festival in Demacia, I just need to get to the shore of Zaun."

The woman (cheerfully): "Sounds interesting. Here you are, have a wonderful trip, sir!"

Jhin (with a small bow): "Thank you very much, ma'am."

Jhin boards the ship and sees some people on it. It wasn't a lot of people since Zaun usually isn't a place people visit often. Jhin decided to go below the deck and go into one of the rooms. He found a comfortable looking room and put down his bags and painting equipment. Jhin started sketching in his notebook. He sketched some parts of nature he saw on the way to the docks. After a few hours, Jhin decided to stop sketching and he wanted to explore the ship a little more. It would be a while before the ship would arrive in Zaun, anyway, so he was free to walk around and waste some time. He went on top of the deck and saw some people standing near the edge of the ship. Jhin walked up to a young man who was around the same age as him. The man was turned around so he didn't notice Jhin until he walked up to him.

Jhin (politely): "Good day, sir. How are you?"

The man (surprised and turning around): "Jhin?"

Jhin (pleasantly surprised): "Viktor?"

The two men shared a hug and started to conversate. They were clearly good friends.

Viktor: "What in the name of Zaun are you doing here?"

Jhin: "I'm heading to the Demacian art festival, what about you?"

Viktor: "Ah, to be expected from such an impactful artist like you. Me? I'm just visiting some relatives near Noxus."

Jhin (annoyed): "Ugh, Noxians. Sorry, I can't stand them."

Viktor: "Understandable. They usually aren't the nicest people."

Jhin: "Anyway, how are you? (concerned) Is your mother okay? Last time I heard from you she was sick, wasn't she?"

Viktor: "Yes, she was. Sadly, she passed away shortly after we heard each other."

Jhin (apologetic): "Oh, I didn't realize. I'm so sorry."

Viktor (thankful): "I appreciate the concern."

Silence followed for a few moments.

Jhin: "Have you made some new inventions yet?"

Viktor: "Oh, yes, I was working on a mechanical arm which would be useful for people with missing limbs or disabled people. I already got a model made, so I just have to make more."

Jhin: "Ah, very nice. Sounds useful, too. Hope that works well."

Viktor: "Yeah, thanks. Hope your art business and festival go well, too."

Jhin (with a small bow): "Appreciate it, friend. (noticing) Oh, looks like we're almost there."

Viktor quickly started to move towards his room and picked his bags up. Jhin did the same thing.

Viktor: "This is where we part ways."

Jhin: "Unfortunately. (curiously) Wait, is your address still the same?"

Viktor: "Yes, why?"

Jhin: "I thought we should start sending letters to each other again, you know, start catching up again."

Viktor (realizing): "Ah, yes, good idea. Well, I'll see you around, my friend, I hope we will meet again in the near future."

Jhin (taking a small bow): "Until we meet again, Viktor."

Jhin and Viktor both got off the ship and started heading on the opposite sides of the dock. Jhin saw a chariot near the end of the dock and walked up to the charioteer.

Jhin (politely and cheerfully): "Hello there, sir. May I request a ride to Demacia? I would like to make it to the art festival there."

The charioteer: "Certainly. The price is 50 gold."

Jhin (handing the money with a small bow): "Here, thanks for the ride."

The charioteer (with a nod): "Put your bags in the back and hop in."

Jhin boarded the chariot and the charioteer started whipping the horses. The road was pretty long and Jhin was mostly getting inspiration from nature again. He saw some interesting situations outside. There were various fields and farms in the opening while they were passing Noxus. These were most likely farmers outside the border trying to live peacefully. Noxus was known for starting wars and it's cruelty towards its citizens. He saw some windmills, a lot of forests and some empty fields. These parts of Runeterra were most likely inhabited since most of these areas weren't marked on the map between Demacia and Noxus. The area between Demacia and Noxus was also popular for the canyons and mountains that formed there over the years. These craters and canyons could also have been affected by the war between Demacia and Noxus that split the two factions in the first place. The charioteer eventually rode next to one of these craters and Jhin immediately averted his eyes to it. It made him think of what the war was like. There was obviously a lot of death and suffering from it. This is also where Sion killed Jarvan The First. Jhin witnessed a speech once in Demacia. It was one of his business tours and he decided to stick around for the speech. The speech was spoken by Xin Zhao, the noble second in command of the army. It was an inspiring speech which told the story of how Xin Zhao was once a gladiator in the Noxian arenas. He fought many opponents and beat them all until he eventually escaped during the outbreak of the war. It spoke about the sacrifices he had to make for his motherland. Xin Zhao made it very clear that he is from Demacia and he only got captured by Noxians and that he has no connections to Noxians whatsoever. This speech was heard by a crowd of people, so it was one of Demacian's biggest announcements or public speeches ever. Jhin was snapped back into reality from thinking by the charioteer.

The charioteer (curiously): "So, are you an artist?

Jhin: "Ah, yes. I have been an artist for about 9 years now and I don't plan on stopping any time soon."

The charioteer: "Impressive. Ever get burned out?"

Jhin: "Isn't that the term for overworking? Well, sometimes. It could be quite exhausting for me since I might get loads of commissions piled up, but I love painting, so it isn't a big problem for me."

The charioteer: "Interesting. (after a brief pause) Ever considered giving up?"

Jhin: "Only time I could remember was when my grandmother fell into a very deep sickness which caused her inevitable death. That's when I wanted to quit to try to help her out. I realized it isn't worth to quit my passion for her. She wouldn't want that."

The charioteer (intrigued): "So, you went through the pain?"

Jhin: "I always keep telling myself that...**Art is worth the pain**. No matter how much I may suffer in the future art will always be a solution to whatever I'm going through."

The charioteer: "Good to hear that some people can deal with that."

Jhin: "Yeah."

After a while, they came to the end of the road.

The charioteer: "Looks like this is your stop. Enjoy your art festival."

Jhin (with a small bow): "Thank you very much, good sir."

Jhin got off the chariot and walked into the Demacian boarders. There were various stables outside of the city borders for storing horses. It was looking very appealing to the eye. The borders were overall very beautiful, tall and were made out of solid material. This was what Demacia was known for, so there was no surprise here. Jhin walked into the massive front gate with a lot of people surrounding him. It seemed like a busy day in Demacia today which was most likely because of the art festival. As Jhin was walking in he saw various posters and banners around the city advertising the art festival. This was most likely the biggest art festival yet. Jhin was in Demacia a few times already, so he knew where he needed to go, but walking was still very slow due to a massive amount of people moving at the same time. He eventually made it to the festival in the centre of the city where it was happening every year. Most art galleries were also full on this day, but Jhin knew basically every gallery so he went to the ones which didn't have many people in them. These galleries were still filled with good paintings, drawings and sculptures even if they were less popular. He stayed in the centre for a bit since he wanted to see if there were gonna be any speeches, reviews or art shows. He didn't see much so he went to some art galleries. The art festival was happening for 3 days, so Jhin had plenty of time to see some art. He was amazed that every year there was a new piece of art which would blow everyone's mind. It's truly amazing how art could change so much in the span of a year. Jhin wanted to see some art from the more popular art galleries. He quickly gave up when lines of forming outside of the galleries were getting massive. Well, he still had the "smaller" art galleries, so he went straight into them. He exhaled a sigh of relief when he saw a maximum of 50-100 people inside, and these galleries weren't exactly small. Jhin saw some interesting caricatures hung up with the best frames you could find around which Demacia was also known for.

The paintings and sculptures were done very well and Jhin was impressed. There wasn't anything too special so that lines of people were forming, but still, Jhin admired all these works of art. He went through a few paintings and learned some interesting origins. Most of them had historical meaning revolving Demacia, but there were a few people from Shurima or even Bilgewater who represented their paintings. They had meaning that had something to do with their own faction. The whole gallery was filled with amazing art and interesting origins. Jhin eventually left and he went through some semi-empty streets to relax. There is a competition every year for "Painter Of The Year". It is a competition where painters all around Runeterra meet up and participate in a challenge for, well, the best painter. They are given 24 hours to paint a painting with extreme detail and painting details which only the best painters could notice and highlight in their paintings. Out of the four years Jhin participated in, he only won once. There were artists who were more talented than him, but he was aware of that and he respected his competition. He felt like this year could be his shot. There was a museum near the Demacian Palace where the competition was going to take place. The competition was going to be announced near the end of the second day, so Jhin still had time. He still had to find an inn to sleep in for the next 2 nights before going home. He knew the best inn in the city and he decided to stay in it tonight. It was called "The Inn of Magical Steel". This was obviously a reference to petricite, a material Demacians use for crafting weapons and armour. Petricite was immune to all magic and magical crowd control effects which made the Demacian army quite remarkable. Jhin went inside and paid the usual price of 20 gold for a room. He went in and placed all of his bags and his backpack down. Jhin knew he needed to gather energy for the big day tomorrow. For some reason, he had a feeling he could win this year. He eventually went to sleep after he finished unpacking. He knew his future would change drastically after this festival, but we don't know what way it would change yet.

_***End of Chapter 2.**_

_**I have no idea when the 3rd chapter is coming. I'm quite busy next week, but I'll figure something out. Hope you enjoyed! :D***_


	3. The Journey To The Art Gallery

_***Back with Chapter 3, hope you enjoy! :D***_

It was a beautiful morning in Demacia that day. Jhin had just been woken up by the outside sunlight from his sleep. It looks like he had a pretty good night. He got up and went through his morning routine before eventually leaving his room that he rented for the entire 2 days. He had some extra money so he packed his pouch and some other essentials into his backpack and went downstairs to talk to the inn owner since he was pretty hungry.

Jhin (sitting down on a stool at the counter): "Good morning, sir. Have you got anything for breakfast?"

The inn owner: "Mornin'. We got some bread and wheat pancakes. Would you like some milk with that?"

Jhin (reaching for his pouch): "Yes, please. What do I owe you?"

The inn owner: "15 gold. (taking the coins) Thank you very much. I'll have your food in a minute."

The inn owner went into the back to prepare Jhin's order. This gave Jhin some time to look around the inn. He never really paid attention to the interior of the place. He started looking around and he noticed some paintings of the inn owner with some animals that seemed to be out cold, most likely dead. There were also various animal heads on the wall. The inn owner was obviously a hunter. Jhin turned around and saw several tables and chairs around them. These looked like they were carved by an expert. It reminded Jhin of how hard people work for something. Wood carving was a very delicate process and Jhin respected anyone who would put their time into it. The sudden door opening sound interrupted Jhin's thoughts and the inn owner came out with the food.

The inn owner: "Here you are, enjoy."

Jhin (grateful): "Thank you, sir."

Jhin started to enjoy his meal and he decided to ask the inn owner of his hunter years.

Jhin (pointing at the paintings and trophies): "If you don't mind me asking, sir, are you a hunter?"

The inn owner: "Ah, I see you've noticed my wall. I was a hunter, yes. I quit a long time ago, though. The city decided that hunting wasn't allowed around Demacia a few years back."

Jhin (understanding): "Oh, I see."

Silence followed for a few moments.

The inn owner: "And yourself? What do you do for a living?"

Jhin (cheerfully): "I am an art dealer and painter. I have come here to the Demacian art festival. I have entered into the artist competition for 4 years in a row now and I have won once. I'll be participating this year, as well."

The inn owner: "Oh, sounds interesting. Congratulations on your win and good luck."

Jhin (happily): "I appreciate it."

Jhin finished his breakfast and walked out of the inn. There were a few options he could do. One of them was to go to the art gallery where the competition would be announced. On one hand, it would be full of people so if he would go in he would be trapped inside until the end of the day, but, on the other hand, he wouldn't be able to enter later on. Difficult choice. He hesitated for a good few minutes before deciding to just head to the gallery right away. It would be somewhat of a long trip to the gallery so he would have time to see some landmarks on the way there. He started heading in the direction of the castle and he really did see some interesting situations around. There were people talking this early in the morning which made sense. People are used to waking up early and they can't really change that about themselves. Jhin never really got to experience the city since he was always in a rush due to the competition. There were several large buildings that looked like they were made from pure quartz. A few towers could be seen in the distance near the border which looked like watchtowers for the guards. Jhin walked past an alleyway which leads directly into a circle shaped area with several plants and a fountain. It was most likely a garden. Something in the garden caught his eye right before he passed the entrance to the alleyway. There was a lady who looked very poor. She had ripped and torn clothes and she was next to a sleeping bag. She was most likely homeless. She was kneeling down and there was a man dressed very neatly who was yelling at her to give her every belonging she owned.

The man: "Everything in the bag, right now!"

The woman: "I swear, that's everything!"

The man (walking up to the woman): "You're lying! Now give it up before I beat it out of you."

Jhin quickly placed his bags onto the ground and rushed into the garden. The man was about to hit the woman, but Jhin pushed him out of the way.

Jhin: "Such an uncultured swine. How about you leave this woman alone?"

The man: "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something, you scrawny prick?!"

Jhin: "You have nothing to do with this woman, you hear me? You better get out of here.

The man: "Oh, ho, are you trying to play the white knight role? Get out of my way before I have to hurt you!"

Jhin wouldn't move an inch.

Jhin (noticing that the woman already left): "I'm pretty sure you're not gonna hurt her anymore."

The man: "Huh?! You bastard! (pulling out a dagger) You better brace yourself, bud."

Jhin was prepared for combat when it was suddenly interrupted.

There were 2 guards with crossbows aiming at the man and there was what looked like a captain with a longsword preparing to strike.

The captain: "Halt! You're under arrest and we have you surrounded, put the weapon down!"

The man rushed at Jhin trying to get something out of his attack, but he was quickly shot twice by both of the crossbowmen and he quickly collapsed. Jhin fell to the ground from the impact and he let out a huge sigh of relief.

The captain (reaching a hand to get Jhin up): "Sir, are you alright?"

Jhin (with a small bow after getting up): "Yes, thanks to you, that man was seriously crazy. He was harassing a woman."

The captain: "We know, she told us. Good thing we were around to assist."

Jhin: "Thanks once again. Excuse me, fine gentlemen, but I have an art gallery to get to."

The captain: "That's fine, we'll take it from here. Thanks for the initiate."

Jhin (with a small bow): "Glad I could help."

Jhin picked his bags up and walked out of the garden. What a moment. Jhin started to think about all the different scenarios if he wouldn't have been in that situation. Would the man kill the woman? Would he leave her be after she gave him everything? These questions are the ones that do not require answers to and Jhin decided to ignore them at the back of his mind. His mind kept telling him that dagger was beautiful, though. He quickly shook off the thought and kept heading to the gallery. After a bit, Jhin walked into what looked like a market district. There were several stands and shops with people selling all kinds of items and inventories. Unfortunately, there weren't any art traders or shops around, so Jhin just rushed through it. Several sellers that were selling at a stand were raising their voices to hear the customers. Overall it was a very loud area and Jhin didn't like loud areas so he quickly moved on through it. Jhin breathed out a sigh of relief when he made it out after a while and he was making good progress towards the art gallery. There weren't many interesting sights to see on the rest of the way to the gallery, so Jhin just went straight to it. He suddenly found himself standing in front of it. It was the biggest art gallery he had ever seen. It was almost as big as the watchtowers, well, this is definitely the most popular art gallery in Runeterra, so I guess there was no surprise here. Jhin stared at it for a good few moments, noticing that the walls and pillars were made from the clearest quartz you could find, the structural integrity of the place was just outstanding. He walked inside and saw a masterpiece of a gallery. He saw many paintings and portraits. There were lots of sculptures and carvings on the wall which were sculpted beautifully. So, THIS was the heart of Demacian art. Jhin was loving every second of his visit there and every other painting and carving in the walls blew his mind even more. Everything continued to impress him. He knew that this is where he belonged all along, in between the most beautiful and well-crafted pieces of art he could ever find out there. He stepped in the middle of the grand hall and the sun shined on top of him while he admired the beauty of the place. The entire gallery was true..._perfection_. But...

Jhin (with a big breathe in): "**Perfection isn't good enough**."

_***End of Chapter 3**_

_**This chapter felt pretty meh to write, honestly. I might get some ideas by the end of the week, but I doubt it. Don't know when I'm posting the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed, though! :D***_


	4. The Abyss

_***4th chapter is here, hope you enjoy! :D***_

The art gallery was truly a masterpiece and Jhin was so attracted by the material that it contained that he stayed for hours. He didn't even notice that people started to fill the gallery. Eventually, the noon chapel clock was heard and the competition was about to be announced. Jhin quickly ended the little tour he just had with several different sculptures. It looked like they were sculpted by none other than Durand himself. It has been well known he made Galio, a colossal sculpture which helped Demacia defend in the Rune Wars against the everlasting creatures of The Void. Anyway, Jhin made it to the centre of the gallery where he was standing before. He had that feeling again like he had been blessed by the sunlight which shined down on top of him. He also felt something else, but he decided to ignore it. The constant conversations of people were silenced when one of the personal assistants got on top of a nearby stage where the competition was about to be announced. Jhin's eyes widened and his daydreaming was cut off by nearby people pushing him to make it closer to the stage and he quickly started to make his way to the back of the stage. He made it just in time and saw 2 other competitors there. They were both young women, one of them in her early 20's and the other one in her late 20's. These were just estimations, however. Jhin decided to greet his fellow competitors.

Jhin (with a small bow): "Are you fine ladies the competitors of this year's competition?"

Fiora (Fiora will always be talking with a French accent): "Oui. Name's Fiora, and this is Quinn. (Quinn happily waved toward Jhin) And you are?"

Jhin (cheerfully): "I'm Jhin. Well, I would like to wish you both good luck."

Quinn (walking up to Jhin and offering to shake his hand): "Same."

Jhin shook Quinn's hand just before the personal assistant started to announce the competition.

Fiora: "Sounds like our queue. Let's go."

The 3 competitors walked onto the stage and stood side by side. The stage lights almost blinded Jhin entirely. He shielded his eyes and he walked on top of the stage. As soon as he walked up the lights cleared and he saw the biggest crowd he had ever seen. The crowd cheerfully gave the competitors a long and loud clap.

Jhin (thinking): "Wow, now this...this passion...compels me." He quickly shook off the thought and turned to face the crowd. After a brief speech, the competitors were given the task they were supposed to paint.

The personal assistant: "Now, competitors, you have been given a pretty difficult task. All 3 of you will be placed in 3 different buildings near the palace and you have to paint it. You will have to paint every, and I mean every, single detail you could possibly see with your naked eye. Nobody is allowed to come closer or farther away from the palace. You have 24 hours to paint the painting. Our guards will take you to your rooms now. Good luck."

The guards started escorting the competitors to their rooms. The streets were cleared to the point where it looked like a ghost town. The first building was the nearest one to the gallery and the guards set Fiora in here.

Jhin: "Good luck, but I'm assuming you don't need it."

Fiora: "I appreciate the thought."

Fiora walked into the building and 4 guards stayed outside to guard the building. The second building was between the first and last one and Quinn was placed here.

Quinn: "Hope you do well."

Jhin (with a small bow): "Thank you, and same."

Quinn entered and the same situation happened. 4 guards stood outside the door. Jhin was escorted to his building and he entered with a big breathe in.

Guard (firmly): "Make yourself at home and good luck."

Jhin (with a small bow): "I appreciate it, sir."

Jhin walked upstairs to the room with the biggest window where he had a clear view of the palace and he placed his equipment down.

Jhin (taking a brush in his hand): "Come on, Jhin. This...this is...your curtain call."

Jhin walked up to his window showing the castle and he started to observe it thoroughly. He had quite the eye for spotting details so he used that to his advantage. He eventually started with some light strokes creating the background. He started mixing some colours onto his pallet, starting off with different shades of blue mixed with white to add that little bit of a lighter shade to it. He used the technique of what he would call "zig-zag" strokes which involves him literally zig-zagging with his brush from top to bottom. This also gets the canvas wet so it's easier for the colours to stick together and mix on the canvas. After the canvas became fully covered with the lighter shades of blue Jhin started to work on the outline of the castle. He used a chisel for this, however, this wasn't one of those chisels the sculptors use for creating sculptures, this was a smaller and more precise version which didn't chip or destroy the canvas in any way and it allowed painters to use it freely. The outline was eventually finished with great precision. This led to Jhin's "detail eye" to come in and he was so proud of himself because it looked like he got the outline done perfectly. He knew details on paintings are what he excelled at, so he had no worries about the rest of the painting. Perhaps he could even win this time? Who knows.

After a few minor details, Jhin came to the great chapel. The chapel served as a clock everyone could see all around Demacia. It was also a praying space for anyone wanting to be purified of their sins or other actions. The clock had to be perfectly detailed and Jhin started off with drawing an almost perfect circle with a single stroke. He coloured it and started to paint the clock handles and he was doing pretty well until he came to the last 3 handles where he messed up pretty badly. Jhin immediately swiped his brush away which left a pretty big mark he couldn't mix with other colours. Jhin got overwhelmed with emotions to the point where he was frozen, he couldn't do anything. The paint was eventually dry and he couldn't fix it anymore. He paused and went to sit in a nearby chair. He looked down with both of his hands over his face. This mistake couldn't let him win.

Jhin: "Ugh...every damn year. (raised voice) **EVERY DAMN YEAR**."

There as a nearby drawer which had some items on top of it. Mostly pitchers and cups. Jhin threw all of them across the room in his rage. Jhin also started moving around the room nervously and he was constantly erupting with rage. Time passed so slowly when Jhin took a break from painting. He felt..._somewhat different_. Something seriously changed about him. He didn't want to continue. He wanted to let it all out. He was met with a difficult choice. Either continue painting and finish the painting, even though the stain would burn his concentration bit by bit, or he could give up and...entertain himself in some other way. He eventually smirked and started to laugh maniacally. He went to his backpack and he pulled out a mask he often used for carnivals he would go to. He changed it up a bit to the point where it was perfect. But perfection isn't good enough. He put it on and pulled out a robe he would always carry with him. He wanted to become an absolute madman. Jhin knew a secret ritual. You see, Jhin used to take certain classes and training to learn some different spells just for self-defence. It involved getting weapons and various attacks from some of the rituals. He wanted the most powerful and best weapon to suit him. He drew a ritual circle and chanted various words he learned at his training. He was granted with "Whisper", a gun that could only hold 4 bullets, but these bullets penetrated any armour or magical resistance possible. The 4th shot is the deadliest one. It did the most damage and gave the user of "Whisper" a blessing which increased their resistances and movement speed. Jhin took the weapon into his grasp and he never wanted to let go of it. It filled him with so much emotion, but not in a good way. He forgot everything he ever learned about his family and friends. There was only one thing he cared about. Art. However, art could be defined in many different ways. Jhin knew all of them and wanted to use the deadliest of them all. He came up with a plan. He wanted to eliminate everyone in the art gallery at the painting presentation. It was almost the time of presenting and Jhin hasted towards the gallery with his painting he covered with a piece of cloth. He entered backstage and saw Fiora. It sounded like Quinn was presenting her work.

Jhin (quickly taking the mask off): "Greetings, how did it go?"

Fiora: "Quinn is presenting right now, and the judges said my work was very impressive. You're up next. Good luck."

Jhin: "I do not need luck."

Quinn entered the backstage and applause could be heard behind her.

Quinn: "I think I pretty much nailed that. Ah, Jhin, you are here. You should enter the stage."

Jhin (with a small bow and a tiny maniacal laugh): "Certainly."

Jhin started walking up the stairs up to the stage and he put his painting down. The lights blinded the whole audience and himself and he put the mask on.

Jhin (deeper voice): "**Ladies and gentlemen. The stage is set. And...my performance...begins.**"

Jhin threw a few smoke bombs while everyone was blinded by the light and the smoke bombs exploded as soon as Jhin finished his sentence. Jhin drew his weapon, "Whisper", and he fired the first shot at the huge ceiling fan's first string holding it together. There were three strings and a huge rope that the ceiling fan was hanging off of.

Jhin (with power in his voice): "**One.**"

He fired the second bullet at the second string.

Jhin (with more power in his voice): "**Two.**"

The third bullet flew and hit the third string remarkably.

Jhin (with even MORE power in his voice): "**Three.**"

Jhin fired the last bullet aiming at the rope and the rope stayed stable for a few seconds while Jhin could give his final words.

Jhin (raised and the most powerful voice ever): "**Ladies and gentlemen! The carnage I create tonight is another step to making me bloom...like a flower in the dawn. Each bullet is a piece of my soul, a piece of me. And now...the curtain rises. Prepare for your finale.**"

The rope was on its last strings.

Jhin (yelling and laughing maniacally): "**FOUR!**"

The ceiling fan started falling and Jhin took a big and deep bow. People were squashed underneath and the art gallery was full of terrified screams.

Jhin breathed in deeply.

Jhin: "**Breathe in the atmosphere.**"

The killing triggered Whisper's special ability. If Jhin kills anyone with the Whisper, the person explodes and damages everything around them.

In Jhin's eyes, there were multiple different explosions of flashing colours. Mostly blue, pink, purple and red all combined together to create... a masterpiece. In everyone else's eyes were the same explosions...except they were explosions of blood. Jhin thought this was artistic beauty of murder and suffering, but it was filled with various colours, so Jhin's eyes widened and he took all of this beauty in. He never wanted to let go of this feeling.

Jhin: "**This...passion...compels me.**"

_***End of chapter 4.**_

_**A bit hasty for me to include Jhin's murdering side right in Chapter 4, but I didn't want to put it off any longer. I got more events planned for this, but I have no idea when the next chapter is coming. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading! :D***_


	5. Escape from Demacia

_***I seriously don't feel motivated that much to do this. I might finish it sooner than I thought. It's not getting recognition either way. (that doesn't matter too much, but still). That's why I've been underperforming on chapters, in my opinion. Either way, chapter 5, hope you enjoy! :D***_

The art gallery was filled with magnificent waves of destruction at every corner. Jhin couldn't stop admiring the beauty of the colours exploding everywhere. He quickly snapped out of it when Fiora and Quinn walked out of the backstage and Jhin hastily fled the scene, hiding in a quite remote part of the gallery.

Jhin (thinking): "What a predicament. Probably should have thought this over."

***"Yeah, probably should have."***

Jhin (thinking): "I never consume madness unintentionally, why am I hearing voices that I am unaware of? Who is this?"

***"Your consciousness, obviously. I am neutral in your so-called 'transformation', so you don't have to worry about me taking over or something."***

Jhin (pleasantly surprised): "Oh, good to have an ally. Well, a neutral one is decent either way. Any ideas on how we get out of this predicament?"

***"Don't think so, chief. I'm pretty much an incarnation of the mask you're wearing right now, so I cannot remember anything except my last host, which was actually 200 years ago. It probably wouldn't be helpful, but back then there was an old switch hidden at that pillar over there."***

Jhin: "Worth a try."

Jhin quickly crept towards the pillar without attracting attention. He quickly saw a part of the pillar which was turned away from the main part of the gallery and it looked like it had a different pattern.

Jhin (thinking): "No way this is different for no reason."

Pushing the patterned part of the pillar revealed the hidden trapdoor beneath Jhin's feet. Jhin jumped down and was met with a long hallway which had stairs going down. After a good minute of walking down the stairs, he encountered a door.

***"See, we're good."***

Jhin: "Guess I could trust you. For now."

***"Piss off. I have been far longer than you, kid."***

Jhin stayed silent and entered through the door, shutting it behind him.

After entering, he realised he was inside of some kind of sewer system. The smell was notable from a mile away.

Jhin (thinking while covering his nose and mouth with his left hand): "You couldn't remember this, eh?"

***"Course not. Sewer systems usually have goblins and rats in them, which shouldn't be much of a problem. If we get lucky, we can get out of the city through the entire system, so shut your ass and stop complaining."***

Jhin: "Ugh, fine."

Jhin advanced forward and encountered a few rats on the way. These rats were pretty much the size of wolves, but they were still rats. Unintelligent, mostly harmless creatures. Jhin quickly dispatched a few bullets into the passing rats. After reloading his gun, Jhin moved forward and noticed various skulls and bones around. He eventually arrived at a small bridge going over a small, well, let's call it a "sewer river". The name says everything. He climbed over the bridge and something caught the corner of his eye. He quickly hid behind a corner and slowly peeked at a nearby corridor. There were 2 goblins, both looking out in Jhin's direction, so he couldn't sneak past.

***"Silent has been this host of late."***

Jhin (thinking): "Trying to sneak. Shut up."

***"Ah, I see. Apologies."***

The goblins were slowly approaching, so Jhin decided it would be best to act quickly. He silently threw a lotus blossom trap in front of the goblins and waited for them to walk up.

Jhin (thinking): "One, two, three...four."

After exactly four seconds Jhin walked in front of the corridor and shot each goblin once. The surprised goblins tried to run up, but they were slowed by the trap, which exploded four seconds after they touched it. The goblins were stunned and damaged and Jhin finished each of them off with two more shots.

***"Perfection."***

Jhin: "...it isn't good enough."

Jhin started walking ahead and he saw what looked like a secret entrance to a room.

Jhin (thinking): "Thoughts?"

***"Could be a shortcut. Check it out."***

Jhin quietly walked through the entrance and found himself in a prison cell.

***"Well ain't this ironic."***

Jhin quickly hid when he heard a guard come up to the prison cell right across from the one Jhin was in. It seemed like there was a prisoner in the cell who was close to finishing his sentence.

Guard: "Seems like we're close to the end of your torture, Ulric. I'm sure as hell gonna miss your growls of pain that echoed across these halls."

Ulric: "You filthy Demacian pig..."

***"Ah, so we're still in Demacia."***

Jhin (thinking): "Seems like it."

Ulric: "...I'm getting out soon and guess what? You'll still be stuck here, and you'll rot away at this job forever!"

Guard: "Hear me out on this, Ulric. What are you even gonna do? You cannot survive out there. You're an animal, you belong in that cage."

Ulric: "Fool! Everyone will know my name, I will be a hero! Ulric Nash! Ulric Nash!"

Guard: "Oh, for sure. You'll be rich. Oh! And you'll be a king, too...and you know what I think, Nash? I think you'll be back. You lot always come back."

The guard started to walk away.

Ulric: "That's right, you walk away now! Filthy Demacian bastard."

***"Did we crash a party?"***

Jhin: "Apparently."

***"I'm pretty sure you cannot sneak past all those cells."***

Jhin: "It's good that I bought some potions, I think I have a short invisibility potion around. (he eventually found one) Got it. It grants me 2 minutes of invisibility. This should be interesting."

Jhin drank the potion, left the prison cell and started to flee from the prison. He saw a few guards and lots of prisoners. Jhin just ran past the guards and he ignored the prisoners.

***"Sadly, it isn't 4 minutes."***

Jhin (thinking): "True that."

***"2*2 is 4, though."***

Jhin: "Mathematical genius in my head."

***"Course."***

Jhin eventually found an office that looked like an entrance to the prison. He waited for a few guards to open the door and he snuck past them.

The potion ran out as soon as Jhin made it to a few bushes where he hid.

***"Success! Very nice idea, Jhin."***

Jhin (thinking): "I appreciate it. You never told me your name. If you even have one."

***"Immortal beings don't have human names. Just call me Xar."***

Jhin: "Interesting."

Jhin took off his mask and his plan was to walk out of the city. He went through the entire journey of him getting to the gallery and he didn't feel a thing, except when he passed the alleyway where he saved the woman from the mugging man. He felt his demon there. It made sense, this is where Jhin doubted himself and the future for the first time. He hasted towards the front gate and just went by it. There was a guard checkpoint.

Checkpoint guard: "Afternoon, sir."

Jhin (with a small bow): "Good day."

Guard checked whether or not Jhin looked dangerous and he let him through.

Checkpoint guard: "Everything seems alright, you are free to go through, sir."

Jhin (with a small bow): "Much appreciated."

Jhin hasted through the gate and made it to a nearby horse stable keeper. Seems like Jhin noticed a wanted poster on a nearby poll. He didn't seem happy about it. The poster had Jhin's entire face on it with the words: "Any reward if this maniac is caught. Wanted for multiple murder reports. Goes by the alias of 'Jhin'. Prince Jarvan III."

Jhin (thinking): "Of course the Prince is involved."

***"Unlucky. The keeper is asleep, just run through."***

Jhin ran past the keeper and eventually made it to an inn. He saw his wanted poster on the door of the inn. He seriously couldn't move anywhere without guards trailing him. He decided the best thing was to move through the woods. Jhin found a nearby large tree which was hollow.

***"You should probably spend the night here. Hollow, not that cold, has a roof, dark so people won't find you."***

Jhin (agreeing): "Alright, fair point."

***"Sleep tight, murderer."***

Jhin (with a smirk): "Night, Xar."

_***End of chapter 5.**_

_**Shorter one, as I said, motivation is kinda lacking. Next chapter I got a fresh idea, expect that soon enough. Hope you enjoy! :D***_


	6. Mark Of Death and Rackbirt

**_*What's up everyone. Probably not gonna make any chaps for a bit. School trouble. I shall post whenever I can. Thanks for the patience and reading this. Hope you enjoy! :D*_**

Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, Jhin is waking up.

***"You up yet?"***

Jhin (waking up and stretching): "Yeah, it was pretty comfortable for a hollow tree."

***"Alright, we should get going. The Demacian bastards might find you soon."***

Jhin: "Good call."

Jhin stood up, took his items and left the tree. It was a pretty decently sized forest with multiple paths forming at every corner. Jhin just decided to go further in. He stopped at a strange looking stump.

***"Hold up, Jhin. What's that?"***

Jhin (walking up to the stump): "A stump. What? You've never seen one of these before?"

***"Dipshit, course I have. Check the side of it."***

Jhin circled around the stump and noticed a strange symbol.

***"Interesting."***

Jhin: "What's up?"

***"This symbol reads "Death". Not sure what it's doing here."***

Jhin (walking away from the stump): "Can't blame you. You haven't been here for 200 years. We should carry on, carefully."

***"Take the lead."***

Jhin got a few meters away before the symbol started glowing and a very quiet quote was heard.

Strange male voice: "We know your name..."

Strange female voice: "...we have always known it."

Jhin pressed on came up to a crossroads and stopped.

***"Right."***

Jhin (curious): "How is that a good idea?"

***"Because I said so. Now go."***

Jhin: "I am not about to go a random way you selected on a 50/50 chance."

***"You have a 50% chance to survive. Might as well take this opportunity, because you probably won't get a chance to take a 50% chance of surviving in the future."* **

Jhin: "Fair."

Jhin started walking over to the right path. Some interesting sights could be seen along the path, like for example, some dead trees, there were random wood piles around and there was a chariot which was toppled over.

***"Seems like a chariot crash."***

Jhin: "Stay sharp, we don't know what could have caused this."

Jhin saw a few more piles of wood and some randomly positioned trees around nearing the end of the path. It appears he came to the end of the path.

Jhin: "Too late to go back. Maybe there is an exit somewhere."

***"I say we go through the vines. You have anything sharp?"***

Jhin: "Now that you mention it, I might have a dagger around. (pulling out a dagger out of his pack) Got it."

***"Alright, cut through then."***

Jhin cut through the vines and made it to a giant tree in the middle of a few other trees. The giant tree had the symbol Jhin and Xar saw earlier. It seemed like there were voices coming from the tree. Jhin drew his weapon as he heard a lovely female voice.

Female: "Never one..."

And a rough male voice.

Male: "...without the other."

A lamb and a wolf came out of the tree and started speaking. The wolf seemed to be floating and both of them had masks based on the symbol from before. Jhin drew his weapon while the lamb and wolf slowly approached him.

Lamb: "We are Kindred. We don't have specific names. Call us Lamb and Wolf."

Wolf: "Pleasure to meet you, Jhin."

Jhin: "Kindred. You two, whatever. How the hell do you know my name?"

***"I like how you started cursing. Really brings out the demon inside of you which is such a contrast from your old self. It's very interesting."***

Jhin (thinking): "Don't think it's time for this. I'll answer later, I agree though."

***"Understandable."**

Lamb: "We knew of you ever since you turned mad. That mask is connected with our symbol. Think of it as a connection between us.

Jhin: "What do you want?"

Wolf: "We would like for you to join us in our cult."

Jhin: "And the reason for that is?"

Wolf: "We will have plenty of contracts for you and you will be famous worldwide. Good pay, you get to murder and you'll be famous. All in one package."

Jhin (quickly): "Give me a minute."

Jhin walked away and started talking to Xar.

***"Risky, they could eliminate you straight away. Their symbol itself means "Death". I don't trust them, but it's your call. You definitely need money."***

Jhin (thinking): "That is true. If they had something against me they would murder me already. Think about it, they know my name, they know what I've done. If they had families in that gallery they would care."

***"Suppose you're right. Your call."***

Jhin: "I'll take it, honestly. (walking up to Kindred) I shall take your offer. What is the name of your cult?"

Lamb: "Mark of Death. Welcome, Jhin. You owe your soul to us now, and we'll take care of you. If you'd like, we already have a contract for you."

***"That was seriously fast."***

Jhin (thinking): "Mark of Death themselves, kinda makes sense. (out loud) What is the contract about?"

Lamb: "It requires a swift assassination in the village of Rackbirt. A human threatened us and has generally committed crimes against the village."

***"I say we take it."***

Jhin (thinking): "Yeah, alright. (out loud) I accept this contract."

Lamb: "Good, if you can perform this assassination secretly without alerting anyone you'll get a bonus as well. I shall now mark the village on your map. Here's the letter with all the information."

***"Alright, we're off."***

Jhin took his map out and started to track the village. It looked like it would take quite a bit of time to arrive at their destination. Jhin left the giant tree area and went off into the jungle to find the village. It seemed like he was gonna have to do some major cutting to get through. He pulled his dagger out and got to work.

***"So, tell me about yourself a little more, Jhin."***

Jhin: "Well, I grew up in Natori, an Ionian city. I had a passion for painting ever since I was a young boy. I grew up peacefully with my mother and father."

***"What's gonna happen to them now?"***

Jhin: "Honestly, I'm not sure. I have no wish to end their lives or anything, maybe I am more of a target now so they will be in danger. Who knows?"

***"And you don't have any intention of checking on them?"***

Jhin: "I will after a while. Right now I wanna focus on this contract."

***"Your call."***

After a good 20-30 minutes of walking, things around Jhin were becoming boring for Jhin. Xar decided to nudge Jhin a little.

***"So, remember the time I told you I noticed you started cursing a fair bit? I think this curse is overall affecting your personality. I like it."***

Jhin: "In a good or bad way?"

***"If you feel good, there's no reason for me to complain. As I said, I like it."***

Jhin: "Alright, thanks for the opinion."

***"Of course."***

Jhin eventually arrived at the village after a good bit of walking. It was a small village containing a windmill, a few buildings and a chapel.

Jhin (pulling the letter out): "It seems like we have to find a human named Darma. Looks like he's a priest that mainly spends his time in the chapel, but from time to time he is at the village inn.

***"How about we ask around the inn? Maybe the people will know more."***

Jhin: "Good idea."

Jhin walked into the village and walked up to a horse keeper.

Jhin: "Pardon me, ma'am? (the woman turned to face Jhin) I'm looking for Darma, he's the priest here."

The woman: "Good day, Darma is actually out of town currently, but he should be back by tonight. My suggestion is you stick around. If you need a place to stay at the inn has a cheap bed available."

Jhin (with a small bow): "I see, thank you for your time, ma'am."

***"So, do we hang out at the inn?"***

Jhin: "That seems like the best decision. Maybe he has a personal house we can go check out later on. My sneaking abilities would come in handy."

***"Your call, Jhin."***

Jhin: "Let us proceed inside the inn."

***"Take the lead."***

Jhin walked up to the door of the inn and noticed it's called "The Inn of The Giant".

***"I wonder what that's all about."***

Jhin: "That's not really important right now."

Jhin walked into the inn and noticed a few people at some of the tables. What looked like a few knights on duty were relaxing here. He walked up to the innkeeper.

Jhin: "Good day, sir. I was hoping you could tell me something about Darma."

Innkeeper: "Darma? He's a regular unless he's on business trips, like today. He's been on it for the last few days."

***"Nudge him."***

Jhin: "Any personal information?"

Innkeeper: "I don't see a reason to give you any more information."

Jhin (leaning closer and whispering): "What about 50 gold?"

Innkeeper (after a slight pause): "Alright, give it. (taking the pouch from Jhin)..."

***"That was easy."***

Jhin (thinking): "Hell yeah, it was."

Innkeeper: "...he's a quiet fellow, always looks like he's in a good mood. Not a dangerous looking person. I think you should check his house. It's behind the chapel."

***"Convenience!"***

Jhin (thinking): "Behind the chapel? That's too good to be true. (out loud and with a small bow) Thank you, sir."

Jhin got up and left the inn.

***"Seems like one of the guards was watching you, perhaps we should figure out a spell to change the look of your face."***

Jhin: "That wouldn't be bad. We'll figure it out later. For now, let's head to this house."

***"You're the boss."***

*_**Chapter 6 end.**_

_**Not much that can be said. The next few weeks either no chapters or small chapters. I'm really busy. Hope you enjoyed! :D***_


	7. The Assassination

_***Been a while, but I'm back for a chapter. Hope you enjoy! :D***_

Jhin (walking towards the house normally): "There's our target, seems like nobody is around."

Jhin walked up to the house and examined the lock. It appeared to be a lock that cannot be picked with a lockpick and required a key to enter.

***"This lock cannot be picked, you need a key."***

Jhin (going around the house and finding a cellar door at the back of the house): "Please tell me...(Jhin was able to pick the lock)...capital!"

***"Don't know how much a cellar is going to provide us with, but you do know we cannot get into the house from there since he probably locked the door leading out of the cellar."***

Jhin: "Do not underestimate cellars, my friend. They can hold valuable information."

***"Lead the way, because I certainly can't."**

Jhin walked down a few steps until finding a nearby lamp. There was a match next to it, so Jhin lit it up and discovered some nasty things.

***"Holy balls."***

Jhin: "Yeah, same."

The cellar had a torture device in it with recent blood marks on it, there were several cuffs and chains around, there was a desk with a whole lot of torture tools on it and there was plenty of nearby barrels containing food and water supplies to keep the torture victims alive.

***"I didn't expect we would find this, quick, let's get the guards in here."***

Jhin: "Wait, we are tasked to kill this man, so if he ends up in a maximum security prison he will be unreachable. We need to figure out how to kill him ourselves before the guards get involved."

***"Fair. So do we wait for him to get back to the village?"***

Jhin: "I think we should. If we find a way to ambush him at the chapel he should be an easy kill. Now, let's get out of here."

Jhin put the lamp out and placed it where he found it. He also replaced the match that didn't work anymore with a new one from his bag and left the cellar. He didn't want anyone to discover something was off.

***"So, he's coming back tonight. Maybe we should sneak into the chapel and wait for him there?"***

Jhin: "If he is in the inn from time to time he would most likely want to celebrate his recent trip. He could stay at the inn and then go to his house to rest, or maybe play with a few victims. Tough call."

***"You could be wrong with this. I honestly am not sure what we should do."***

Jhin (after a bit of a long pause): "I think the best thing would be to head to the chapel when we know he is there and there we act like we want to pray and be purified at the chapel. That way he has to bless us himself which gives us a moment to assassinate."

***"Good plan, should we stay at the inn?"***

Jhin: "Yes, let's book a room immediately."

Jhin rushed back to the inn and walked up to the innkeeper once again.

Jhin: "I decided to take the offer of the bed you have available, sir."

Innkeeper: "Ah, of course. That would be 15 gold."

Jhin (handing him one gold and one silver coin): "Here you are, full fee."

Innkeeper: "Thank you, go up the stairs and it's the third door to the right."

Jhin (with a small bow): "I appreciate your services, sir."

The creaking stairs could be heard as a tall figure was walking down them.

It appeared to be a human most likely hailing from Demacia. Jhin sank his head into the floor and avoided eye contact while climbing the stairs. He had to walk past the figure who was staring at him like a baby lamb at a rainbow door. Jhin hurried into the hallway at the top of the stairs and took a right turn. He started to walk down a long hallway.

***"What's what guy's problem?"***

Jhin: "I'm pretty certain that's a guard that was there when I saved that woman from the mugger back in Demacia. That's why I avoided eye contact."

***"We need this face changing spell fast."***

Jhin: "I'll ask Kindred if they know where I can learn a spell like that. After we finish this contract, of course."

Jhin found the room he paid for and entered. He took the key out of his pocket and locked the door behind him. He placed the key into his bag. He decided to keep the key to himself.

***"Just in case, huh?"***

Jhin: "Just in case."

Jhin laid down onto his bed and decided to take a rest.

***"Rest time? Alright, I won't bother you. Night."***

Jhin: "Night."

Jhin was woken up by a sudden commotion outside. He got up from his bed and looked out the window. A few guards were harassing a young looking dark elf.

Dark elf (the dark elf has a beer mug in his hand and he's moving weirdly, he's definitely drunk): "Fools! What...do you think you are doing...you stupid bastards..!"

Guard 1: "Sir, threatening a guard is considered a fine, pay your gold or we haul you off to jail."

Dark elf: "You already took...everything from me...move out of my way, I'm heading to my house."

Guard 1: "Sir, we have seized your house already, that property belongs to the Count now."

Dark elf: "Get out of my way...move I said! Don't make put the...hurt on you."

Guard 1: (whispering to the second guard): "This isn't working. Do we arrest him?"

Guard 2: (whispering back): "That seems like the right thing to do. (out loud) Sir, you are under arrest for threatening to harm the guards, come with us."

Dark elf: (pulls out his dagger): "I warned you!"

The dark elf ran towards the guards and tried to stab them, but the first guard quickly slashed the dark elf's neck, killing him instantly.

Guard 2: "Sharp moves. Alright, citizens, we'll clean this out, no need to worry."

***"What was that all about?"***

Jhin: "Seems like a dark elf, you don't see a lot of those around. We could ask Kindred about this."

***"Good point, let's head to the chapel, Darma should in there already."***

Jhin: "Let me pick up my things and we're off."

Jhin took his bags, walked out of the room and locked the door. He took a long breather before entering the main floor of the inn. There were several heard conversations that talked about the dark elf incident and some of the random sights around the village. Jhin walked out of the inn and sighed out of relief. There were no guards in the inn and he went to the chapel. He opened the large door and entered. He recognized Darma as he was the only person in there. Darma was standing near a confessional.

Jhin: "He matches the description, alright, let's do this."

***"Careful, he is a torturer after all."***

Jhin walked up to the confessional, sat down and patiently waited.

Father Darma sat down at the opposite side.

Darma: "What is it that troubles you, child?"

Jhin: "I have committed sins, Father."

Darma: "I am here, confess your sins to the Lord and we will hear you."

Jhin (cracks his knuckles mentally, also thinking): "Here we go."

***"Good luck."***

As Jhin was confessing his sins, Darma's face was starting to get more and more frightened. Jhin just kept going and going. He never seemed like he was gonna stop. Finally, he came strong with the finale.

Jhin: "...and finally, Father."

Jhin had a long pause.

Darma (after a bit of time): "What is it, child?"

Jhin looked down, put his mask on, slowly turned his head towards Darma, deliberately pointed Whisper at his face and started humming.

Jhin: "**Father, my show had only just begone, and yours seems to have come to an end.**"

Darma suddenly turned his head towards Jhin and his eyes widened as Jhin pulled the trigger, the warmest feeling coursed through Jhin's veins as the imaginary rose pedals came out of his gun. His mask suddenly became full of drops of blood. He stood up, shook off the feeling, took Darma's necklace and fled the scene. He took off his mask while going outside and he snuck out of the village the same way he came. The guards didn't suspect a thing.

***"What a glorious kill. I'm very impressed."***

Jhin: "My work requires...perfection. I must be perfect in it."

Xar became quiet and patiently waited for Jhin to return to the Mark Of Death lair to receive his reward and his well-earned bonus. He felt transcended, almost as if he was born again. This was something Jhin really wanted in his life.

_***End of chapter 7.**_

_**This assassination felt really good to write, and I hope I make more quality chapters like this. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading! :D***_


	8. The Illusion Spell

_***2 chaps in 3 days, ladies and gents. **_

_**Hope you enjoy! :D***_

The forest was pretty much the same as it was when Jhin and Xar first ventured through it. There were several different animals around and the landscape itself was...boring for Jhin. He started to see the world differently than before. It seemed like everything revolved around art. The kind of art that Jhin was experimenting with currently. Either way, Jhin and Xar eventually made it back to the lair with minimal conversations.

The ancient tree glowed a bright mix of purple and blue and Kindred appeared out of a Mark Of Death symbol.

Lamb: "You are back, this means you have completed your task?"

Jhin: "Yes, and nobody suspected a thing. I assume this earns me my bonus?"

Wolf: "Certainly, we shall pay you this 500 gold and a bonus of 'Shiverstrike'. It is a magical dagger which does extra damage and drains the life out of the foe, healing the user of it. A powerful weapon indeed."

Jhin: "I shall accept this reward and bonus. Thank you very much. Now, I have a few questions about some things. I certainly think you'll be able to answer them since you're the incarnation of death."

Lamb: "Surely, what troubles you today, Jhin?"

***"What are we gonna talk about exactly?"***

Jhin (thinking): "The Dark elf situation."

***"Ah, alright. Go for it."***

Jhin (out loud): "I was hoping I could get some information on a Dark elf that has been living in Rackbirt. His house was recently seized by the Count and the guards had a confrontation with the elf. I don't know his name but he was severely drunk and I could hear people at the Rackbirt inn called 'The Inn of The Giant' talking about how he got major fines for basically getting drunk and falling over in the inn. Is there any information you could provide me with?"

Lamb: "Ah, yes. We have considered him as one of our targets but decided against it since we didn't want any more murders happening in Rackbirt. He is just a dumbfounded drunk fellow who doesn't want to be friends with anyone so he drowns his sorrow in alcohol. His name is Vander Grath. Why do you ask this? Did something happen to him?"

Jhin: "The confrontation actually ended up killing him. He tried to murder the guards and got his throat sliced in return. So, is that it? He was just an angry, drunk and antisocial weirdo and that's why the guards disliked him?"

Wolf: "Pretty much."

Jhin: "Ah, alright. I thought he did some kind of crime and got away with it or something. Okay, my next question. Is there some kind of spell to changing your face or at least putting an illusion on it so it looks like someone else's face? I could really use a spell like that so the guards don't glare at my face every two seconds."

Lamb: "We don't possess the ability to grant spells to anyone, plus we do not have such a spell in our arsenal, but we have heard great stories about the illusion spell master, Tharma. She is claimed as a goddess who doesn't manifest herself in the real world. The only way to speak to her is to offer a lotus blossom petal to her shrine, northeast of here, and call upon her guidance. We do have a contract prepared for you if you are interested."

Jhin: "Alright, I will be interested after I talk to Tharma herself. Could you mark the shrine on my map?"

Lamb: "Certainly, it's in this area, like I said, northeast of here."

Wolf: "Travel up there now and you'll be there in no time."

Jhin: "Thank you very much. I am off."

***"Here we go. Ready for this?"***

Jhin (thinking): "Of course I am, we're finally somewhere we belong. And we're getting paid, having a shelter, plenty of food and water, since Kindred can manifest a lot of mortal items into reality with their spells. It definitely feels good."

***"Feels good to be a part of you. You're certainly a great host."***

Jhin: "I appreciate it, pal."

Jhin climbed out of the secret lair and pulled his map out. He examined it briefly and started to head in the direction of the shrine.

***"You have any lotus blossom petals on you?"***

Jhin (pulling out a lotus blossom trap): "I sure do."

Jhin planted the trap and activated it carefully. He quickly stepped away from it and took the lotus blossom petal it left on the ground after exploding.

***"Great, now, we gotta get to this shrine."***

Jhin (pointing in the direction of a mountain): "It's near that mountain, when we get closer we'll be able to see it."

Jhin slid down the hill and began to venture into the forest. He found several wolves around.

***"Seems like a wolf den is around."***

Jhin (shooting a wolf): "Four! (thinking) The wolf den doesn't really matter. We'll get past it either way."

***"Sounds about right."***

After a few more dead wolves Jhin and Xar eventually gazed upon the Shrine of Tharma.

***"Wow. She is really beautiful."***

Jhin: "Quite obvious for a goddess. Look at that outfit. So revealing. I don't like it one bit."

***"Your artistic expression tells me you aren't impressed at all."***

Jhin: "And I am not. The look doesn't suit her at all."

Tharma appeared as a giant statue with long hair, a very revealing outfit and a lotus blossom flower in her hand.

There were 3 people around the shrine. All of them looked Ionian at first glance. Jhin walked up to one of them.

Jhin: "Greetings, sir."

The man: "Good day, have you come to seek the word of our goddess?"

Jhin: "If you would allow it, yes."

The man: "Leave her a lotus blossom petal below her feet and she will talk to you."

Jhin (with a small bow): "Thank you very much, sir."

Jhin walked up to the statue and placed the lotus blossom petal below Tharma's feet. At first, nothing happened.

***"Are we doing something wrong?"***

Jhin: "I am not sure."

After a few seconds, Tharma's voice could be heard within Jhin's mind. It seemed like Jhin was transported into his own mind.

Tharma (deep and echoing voice): "Hear me, mortal. You have summoned the illusion goddess. What business do you have here?"

***"Can you hear me, goddess?"***

Tharma: "And who might you be? I sense you are not a mortal, you seem to be a spirit."

***"Long story short, I am a spirit inhabiting this mortal's mind. The mortal's name is Jhin. I am Xar."***

Tharma: "It's nice to meet you both. What can I do for you?"

Jhin (thinking): "Great goddess, we require your guidance. I have done something that I need help with. I seek a spell that is able to change appearances. Is there something like this that you can provide me with?"

Tharma: "I do not manifest myself in the real world. I live only as a spirit. With that in mind, I am only able to give certain artifacts to mortals that I think deserve them.

However, I can point you in the right direction for a certain spell like this. It can turn you invisible, as well as change your entire appearance into a Freljordian. I assume you are Ionian yourself."

Jhin: "You assume correctly, goddess. Where can I find this spell?"

Tharma: "I will point you to another nearby shrine. The shrine is for the god of stealth. The god's name is Shatir. His shrine is to the west of here. Bring him this ancient artifact and he shall reward you with the spell."

Jhin (bowing before the goddess and accepting the artifact): "I thank you for your guidance, my goddess."

Tharma: "If you require assistance at any time, come speak to me and I shall guide you once again. Farewell."

***"It was nice to make your acquaintance, Tharma."***

Tharma: "I can say the same thing."

Jhin was transported back in front of the shrine.

***"Alright, now, let's make our way to Shatir's shrine. It seems like this spell is gonna be a bit easier to get than we thought."***

Jhin (thinking): "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. There could be many dangers ahead. Either way, let's head over there."

***"Lead the way, friend."***

Jhin left the shrine of Tharma and started heading for the shrine of Shatir.

***Meanwhile***

**-Bilgewater-**

There was a man named Burd working in a workshop. It was a shop that had a lot of machines and did repairs on certain items for a price.

Burd (to a customer): "Thank you, come again."

Burd went under his counter to grab a particular machine and he heard the bell above his door ring.

Burd (from under the counter): "Ah, welcome to our workshop! How may I assist you? (lifting his head up above the counter) Oh, Viktor! You arrived."

Burd walked up to Viktor and shook his hand.

Burd: "It is a pleasure to speak with you."

Viktor: "Same here, sir."

Burd: "Now, about that job offer you requested. (walking to the counter and reading a paper) Ah, yes. You are definitely most qualified for this. You can start working tomorrow morning. If you need a place to stay I know a fine hotel nearby.

Viktor (shaking Burd's hand yet again): "Thank you very much, sir. I shall head there at once."

Burd: "Have a great night, Viktor."

Viktor: "Take it easy, sir."

***Back to Jhin***

Jhin was cutting through some branches and vines with his recently earned Shiverstrike.

Jhin: "Quite an effective weapon."

***"Yeah, that thing is heavily enchanted and efficient. A very fitting reward."***

They eventually found the shrine of Shatir. Shatir looked like quite a thief. He had a hood on and his clothes were as black as the void. There were three people there again, but two of them were Freljordians and one was a Noxian.

***"What a variety."***

Jhin (thinking): "You said it."

The Noxian walked up to Jhin.

The Noxian: "What business do you have here, traveller?"

Jhin: "I am here to present an artifact to Shatir."

The Noxian: "Very well, you may talk to him."

Jhin did a small bow and walked up to the statue. He carefully placed the artifact below Shatir's feet and waited for a response. Jhin was once again found inside of his own head.

Shatir (cheerful and smooth voice): "A mortal! Wonderful. Always a pleasure. I see you presented one of Tharma's artifacts to me. What can I do for you?"

Jhin (thinking): "Great god of stealth, I seek a spell that the goddess Tharma pointed me to. It's a spell that can change my appearance to a Freljordian and can make me invisible."

Shatir: "Ah, yes. I have the spell right here. I shall give it to you for no price at all. This artifact is enough for me."

Jhin (bowing before the god and accepting the spell): "I thank you greatly, your Excellency."

Shatir: "Just use the spell like you would use any other, it has been added to your spellbook. Now, farewell."

Jhin was teleported back in front of the shrine.

***"We got it!"***

Jhin (using the spell): "Ah, it works. I sound and feel like a Freljordian."

***"Definitely look like one as well."***

Jhin: "I can also make myself invisible, so that's pleasing."

***"Now, let's make our way back."***

Jhin (cancelling the spell effects by using the spell again): "Alright, we're off."

Jhin and Xar started venturing through the forests and up the hill again. They were heading back to the lair to receive the next contract. It was all going well for Jhin and Xar, as they were very satisfied with their progress today.

_***End of chapter 8.**_

_**The next two weeks I probably cannot put out any more chapters. I have school problems I gotta deal with. After June 15th expect more frequent chapters. I might sneak a chapter here and there until that day comes. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading! :D***_


	9. New Goals

***Hey, everyone, after a month of a hiatus going in this fic, I'm back. I've talked to my friend Mysterious And Strange and I've been debating whether or not I should stop this fanfic. We discussed whether or not I should remove the last 3 chapters since I really don't like the direction this story was going in ever since Mark Of Death was introduced, I asked him if I should stop the fic all together and even asked if I should take a hiatus/quit writing in general. He ultimately suggested that I shouldn't quit writing and that I should just keep going. I've come to the conclusion that I should continue this story because it's my most popular fic and also because I like it the most. This chapter will be Jhin doing a contract and suddenly realizing that the thing he is doing is wrong, which will prompt him to leave Mark Of Death forever. Thanks to everyone who stuck around and I'm very sorry for not updating this in the last month, I hope you guys enjoy this and the future chapters! :D***

Jhin grasped a nearby rock and jumped to the one on the far left. The journey from the bottom of the hill back to the top was certainly a bigger challenge than going down the hill. As he grasped the rock to the left, Jhin lept up to a log sticking out of the hill and climbed on top of it. He took a quick break before seeing a gentle slope he could climb up to on the far left. He gripped a nearby rock and flung himself at the last boulder. He climbed the boulder and landed near the gentle slope which led to a path that was easier to climb. Eventually, Jhin made it up to the hill and entered the lair of The Mark of Death. Jhin began panting and resting for a minute.

***"You'd think they would make it easier to get up on this side of the hill."***

Jhin (thinking): "I didn't expect anything more from them."

***"Do you not like them?"***

Jhin: "I have very mixed feelings about them, yes."

***"Interesting."***

As he began to stand up, Kindred appeared in front of Jhin and approached him.

Lamb: "You're back. Does this mean you found your spell?"

Jhin (making his hand glow by using the spell): "Indeed. Now, about that contract."

Wolf: "We knew you'd come around. A pretty simple mission, you have to assassinate a member who betrayed this clan a long time ago. He lives in a windmill up North, not too far from here. His name isn't important, he's a man in his early 40's and lives with his young daughter. If the daughter decides to compromise the mission at all, assassinate her as well."

Jhin looked the Wolf dead in his eye and mentally shook his head from side to side. He was clearly against this idea. Taking revenge on someone who wronged you in the past is one thing, but killing someone who has nothing to do with the mission, especially a child, is crossing the line for Jhin.

Jhin (out loud): "Alright, I shall head there now. Farewell."

Jhin turned around and quickly left the lair. As Jhin was about to head to the windmill, Xar spoke up.

***"I wanted to tell you something."***

Jhin: "What's on your mind?"

***"Tell me if you want to do this contract."***

Out of nowhere, this question made Jhin stand still for a few moments.

Jhin (hesitant): "To be completely honest, I want to ditch this clan, but you see what would happen to us if I betrayed them. We're about to go kill a man who betrayed this clan."

***"The risk is worth it, trust me. Remember how their symbol was familiar to me? I used to work for these 2 at one point, as a spirit. I ultimately decided that I should just leave and nothing has happened. Even if they send someone to kill you, which they will do because they normally send people to kill for them, I guarantee you that you can outsmart the person who they sent for you."***

After a good few seconds of silence, Jhin mentally replied.

Jhin (with a big breathe in): "I'm on board. Alright, let's set the stage. (looking at his map) We have to head North, so they wouldn't suspect a thing, and then we can head to the village of Old Bargate and look for transport to... (after a few moments) Zaun. My good friend Viktor is there and we will most likely want to seek him out."

***"Good plan, but what about your parents? Aren't you afraid of what'll happen to them?"***

Jhin: "They're safe in Navori. I don't see anything happening to them anytime soon. Now, let's roll."

Jhin saw another gentle slope and gracefully climbed down the hill. It would be a while before Jhin would make it even close to Old Bargate, but time was something that he had a lot of that day. Dodging a few Demacian officers was the most interesting thing during the trip. Even if time wasn't particularly of the essence in these situations, it already became dusk as Jhin felt some wet drops upon his skin, he looked up and a few water drops landed on his face. Jhin put his hood on as is started pouring pretty heavily. No matter how strong the storm was, the sounds of thunder in the background could not disrupt Jhin's casual humming and song rehearsing in his head. He hit every tone perfectly and flashbacked to the times he would play the piano as a child.

Jhin (thinking): "Ah, great times."

There seemed to be no reply from Xar. It seems like Xar has become very quiet and Jhin did feel his presence, but not Xar's personality or voice. Even demons inside people's minds seemed to get tired, apparently. Jhin eventually stumbled upon a pleasing sight in these times. An inn that he could sleep in through the entire night. The pouring ocean of rain wasn't going to hinder Jhin for very long, as he quickly entered the inn after briefly standing outside to cast his spell. Jhin looked around the inn and noticed basically nobody in the inn except an older looking man sitting near the corner of the counter.

Jhin (talking to the inn owner, which happened to be a woman): "Evening, ma'am."

The inn owner: "Sir. What can I do for you?"

Jhin (taking his hood off and taking his coat off): "Any available beds around?"

The inn owner: "We have a fresh bed available for 10 gold. Here, let me give you a hand with that coat."

The inn owner took the coat and hung it on a nearby statue which seemed to be used as a coat hanger.

The inn owner (after receiving 2 gold coins from Jhin): "Alright, take this door to the right and it's the second door to the left. Have a great night, sir."

Jhin quickly nodded and went into the right hallway. He found the door with the number 2 above it and went inside. It had a bed, a bed drawer, a chest, a chair and a small table. Jhin landed on his bed gracefully and quickly entered the dream world. After a brief fall, Jhin found himself in an empty, dark and gloomy room. It seemed like the abyss consumed him until he saw a black wolf in the distance. He cautiously approached the wolf and it turned around, revealing that its right eye had a large white scar over it, its eyes were completely white and it seemed like this creature wasn't a mere wolf. The beast stood there and let out a long and fearless howl. Surprisingly, the beast opened its mouth and Jhin started to become confused as he heard the beast talking.

***"It's me, pal."***

Jhin: "...Xar?!"

***"Well, it isn't necessarily myself, this is just the form that I allow you to see me as. You can only see me like this when we're both dreaming and it just so happens that we're both dreaming right now."***

Jhin's face made various expressions before he asked a question.

Jhin: "Wait, now that I think about it, your spiritual form is a lot like the Wolf. You know, the Kindred Wolf."

***"This is based on his form, yes, and that's because this scar is a resemblance to the first time we faced off as spirits. This was before he met the Lamb. We viewed each other as foes and thankfully, he lost the ability to detect spirits a long time ago. He lost a good part of his spiritual form and replaced it with nothing but that stray of black mist behind his head. He used to be a whole wolf, now he degraded to the form he has today. (after a brief pause) Oh, looks like you're gonna wake up. I can sense it. Perhaps we'll meet again here. See you in the real world, Jhin."***

Jhin woke up shortly after Xar sent him away and it sounded like the rain stopped.

***"You're awake. Good, let's keep moving."***

Jhin said nothing and quickly stood up. He wondered if that dream was actually real and he didn't want to ask straight away. He took his bag and left the room, as well as the inn.

Jhin (pulling his map out): "Alright, we have to take the right path and we'll eventually be there."

***"Why are we going to this particular village?"***

Jhin: "Since it's the closest village that isn't up in the mountains."

***"Makes sense. Sorry, dumb question."***

Jhin: "We just woke up, no worries. Sounds like you had a good rest."

***"Yeah, haven't slept in weeks, so it definitely felt refreshing."**

As Jhin took a step forward towards the correct path, he realized this step also marks the end of Mark Of Death, his freedom was finally able to become reality because of the spell and he was just extraordinarily glad that he made that step. A step away from useless murder. In Jhin's eyes, the only murders that are considered 'useless' are the ones where he doesn't feel like it's worth it for him and his emotions to do the murder. In other words, unless he himself benefits from the murder, Jhin despises assassinations with unclear goals. As the sky brightened up and the air started to become clearer, Jhin walked the muddy path that was created with last night's rain and he felt this was the right path to take for his future to finally become better than it ever was.

***End of Chapter 9.**

**Not much to say, except thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed! :D***


	10. The Ride To Old Bargate

***Back with another chapter, I have kinda regained my confidence that I needed to continue this story, so let's continue. Hope you enjoy! :D***

It was a beautiful and sunny morning. Although the last night's rain made the land sickening for most people, Jhin did not mind the muddy and wet roads. The journey was going to take quite a long time, but Jhin's parents always taught him to remain positive and patient. It was very refreshing for Jhin to speak to Xar about his past and he even mentioned the piano playing that he did as a child. It was his passion to become a great musician performing on the stage. The thought of the spotlight striking down upon him, him expressing his articulated talent and skills and the crowd appreciating what he does...that was Jhin's dream. Some people would say that Jhin's dream took a wrong turn. The people who knew him have most likely found out about the murders, and he couldn't even see his parents anymore, the danger would be too great. Jhin's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a moving cargo next to him. Jhin quickly activated his spell under his cloak and ended up looking like a Freljordian. The cargo was ridden by an old man and, what looked like, his granddaughter in the back.

The old man (slowing his cargo down and turning towards Jhin): "Need a lift?"

After a few moments, Jhin climbed in the back of the cargo and took his hood down. He sat across from the granddaughter and sighed out of relief.

Jhin: "I appreciate it, sir. Mind if I ask you your name?"

The old man: "Oh, the pleasure is mine. I'm Dorald, and this is my granddaughter, Jenine. Where are you off to, and might I ask your name?"

Jhin: "The name's Jhin. I'm trying to make it to Old Bargate from where I can search for transport towards Zaun. I'm visiting a friend who is starting to work there."

Dorald: "Ah, sounds good, I can take you there, in a few hours we'll be in Old Bargate."

Jhin simply nodded and a silence occurred for a few moments.

"There's been a Jhin roaming around murdering people. You don't look like him, so it must be pretty bad to have the name 'Jhin' right now."

Jhin: "Yeah, no kidding. The merchants all want to know your name in this day of age, and that can be quite troublesome."

Dorald: "I understand, yes. Help yourself to any food or drinks, by the way, make yourself comfortable."

Jhin: "Thank you, Dorald."

Dorald: "My pleasure."

After a few minutes of silence or a cough from Dorald here and there, Jhin started humming one of his favourite songs again. Jenine seemed to know the tune so she started humming as well. After a few minutes of rehearsing the tune, Jhin and Jenine both finished and Jhin did a small bow.

Jenine: "Oh, that takes me back. From where do you know the tune?"

Jhin: "I knew it since my childhood. I always wanted to become a performer or a musician on the stage, so I ended up learning to play the piano. What about you?"

Jenine: "My grandfather taught me the tune."

Dorald: "It's true. (Jhin turned his attention towards Dorald) Her mother loves those piano songs, so I ended up memorizing most of them."

Jhin: "That's wonderful, my parents were also very focused on me becoming successful that they memorized most of those songs, too."

After a few moments, Jhin laid back and started to mentally speak to Xar.

***"How do you like them so far?"***

Jhin: "They seem like good folks, but you can never be too careful. My main concern is they're taking me to Old Bargate, and if they're going to get me there safely, I don't mind hanging around them."

***"Fair enough. Hey, doesn't Jenine look kinda younger than you?"***

Jhin: "Now, that you mention it, it seems like it. It's nice seeing people who are younger than me but aren't spoiled rascals like the rest of the little children."

***"Yeah, I've seen some very annoying brats in my day."***

Jhin: "Same here. There used to be a kid in my city who was just so annoying that everyone just widely ignored him and never talked to him. His parents moved out, so he had to as well."

***"Navori must be an amazing city, isn't it?"***

Jhin: "You were never in Navori, huh? Where did you go with your last host?"

***"We mostly hung around Freljord, he was a soldier or guardsmen for a village, until it got attacked. He didn't make it. I didn't get to stay with him for very long."***

Jhin: "What happened to you?"

***"Well, the enemy had a witch doctor, so they banished me from consuming one of their own or any other human for the next 200 years."***

Jhin: "That's truly unfortunate."

***"Indeed, but it feels good to have a decent host for once."***

Jhin: "It also feels good to have a decent spirit inside of me."

***"Yeah, I am pretty great."***

Jhin visibly glared at the cargo wall and, mentally, at Xar.

***"Alright, I'll give you some credit."***

The conversation seems to have stopped there and the first hours passed fairly quickly, but Dorald slowed the cargo down and Jhin knew something wasn't right. 3 men were seen standing in front of the cargo on the road, blocking it. 2 men stood on the left and right of the cargo, as well. All of them looked armed with daggers and swords.

Dorald: "Folks, you're blocking the road, and we've gotta make it to Old Bargate."

Man 1: "Oh, we'll let you go, after we take Jhin."

Jhin peeked out of the cargo and noticed all 5 of them had The Mark Of Death symbols on their clothing.

***"Ah, crap."***

Jhin (out loud): "Alright, Jenine, Dorald, stay in the back, I'll deal with this."

Dorald: "What are you gonna do?"

Jhin: "You remember that Jhin that killed a bunch of people? (both of them nodded) That would be me."

Dorald and Jenine looked at Jhin in shock.

Jhin: "They're not after me for my killing, they're after me because I left a certain clan. I understand if you don't want to take me to Old Bargate anymore, and that's fine, but right now, I have to take these guys out."

Jhin took his 'Shiverstrike', his dagger, inside of its scabbard and put it on his right side and he pulled out his Whisper. He finally took his mask, cancelled his spell and put the mask on his face.

Jhin: "And now, the curtain rises."

***"Let's go."***

Jhin stepped out of the cargo from the back and quickly shot the man on the cargo's left side.

"**One**."

The 3 men reacted and quickly sprinted towards Jhin, while the man from the right side also ran in. Jhin let them get a little closer, then he rolled to the side and threw a bouncing grenade that hit the first man, bounced to the rest and finally exploded in the 4th man's face. The 4th man collapsed and the rest got injured. Jhin shot the man closest to him and he fell to the ground.

"**Two.**"

Jhin crouched to prepare his 3rd bullet but by the time he looked up, one of the men was closing in and was about to decapitate Jhin. Jhin quickly reacted, pulled his 'Shiverstrike' out, and blocked the hit. The man's sword was being pressed towards Jhin, but Jhin pushed him back with sheer force. Jhin quickly shot the now knocked back man and got up from his crouching position.

"**Three.**"

Jhin precisely and quickly threw 'Shiverstrike' into one of the last 2 men standing and he hit him on the shoulder. Jhin ran up, grabbed the dagger, pulled it out and proceeded to decapitate the man. The last man swung at Jhin a few times with his dagger, but Jhin dodged with succession and stabbed the last man in the stomach with 'Shiverstrike'. To make sure this was the end of The Mark Of Death members, Jhin pointed his gun towards the man's head.

"**FOUR!**"

And just like that, the last man's brains were blown out by Jhin's 4th shot.

***"I could hear the Wolf grunting in the distance. Nice work, Jhin."***

Jhin: "Yeah, they need to find better assassins."

***"I guess the best already left."***

Jhin: "Can't argue with that."

Jhin sat on the ground and took his mask off to catch a quick breath. He got up after a few moments and checked the condition of Dorald and Jenine.

Jhin (entering the cargo): "You guys alright?"

Dorald: "Yes, barely. Thank you."

Jhin: "It was my fault, after all, so I don't deserve any gratitude. Either way, I'll be making my way now, good day."

Jhin started to walk out of the cargo.

Dorald: "Well, as long as you don't murder us, we can still take you to Old Bargate."

Jhin stopped, turned around and looked at Dorald, then Jenine. Jenine nodded, confirming what her grandfather is saying.

Jhin: "I would be forever grateful."

Dorald: "Hop on, we'll hit the road."

Dorald drove around the bodies and continued his way towards Old Bargate. Jhin took out a few bandages and covered a few of the cuts and bruises on his arms.

Dorald: "You mind telling us who those guys were?"

Jhin: "I don't know myself, but they had The Mark Of Death symbols on their shirts. It looks like this."

Jhin scribbled down the symbol and showed it to Jenine, then Dorald. Dorald quickly nodded and Jhin continued.

Jhin: "It's a clan that has paid contracts, which are basically murder instructions. They pay you high amounts of money for a stealth assassination. I quickly left since I didn't want to rely on anyone to stage the assassinations that they wanted me to do. I realised I didn't want to murder people for someone else's pleasure, but rather my own. I probably sound sadistic, but you 2 aren't on my priority list for assassinations right now. I consider you both as allies if that makes it any better."

Dorald: "It kinda does. Thanks, I guess."

Jenine looked at Jhin and nodded firmly, which confirmed she appreciated this as well.

Jhin: "I'm kinda burned out, so do you mind if I sleep it off?"

Dorald: "Knock yourself out, friend. I'll inform you when we get closer to Old Bargate."

Jenine offered Jhin a blanket which he gladly accepted.

Jhin: "Thank you, both of you."

Jhin laid down and proceeded to fall asleep shortly after.

***"Come over to my dream world, I got something for you."***

Jhin (thinking): "Alright."

***End of chapter 10.**

**Cliffhanger, yeah, but I'm a little tired so this is all that's gonna be in this chapter. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading! :D***


	11. Xar's Manifestation and Zaun Arrival

***Haven't posted in a while, so it's about time I do it. Hope you guys enjoy! :D***

As Jhin began to drift away into the world, or we could say several different worlds, of dreams, Xar was there waiting for him inside of the abyss once more.

Jhin: "So, what did you want my attention for?"

Xar: "I have found a way to manifest myself into the real world as an actual wolf, you see, when we came into contact with the Kindred assassins we had the first real experience in a fight, as well as the first encounter against Kindred, which made me realize that if I reach out of the abyss just enough, I can manifest myself into the real world. I could act as your pet."

Jhin: "Another combat ally, not to mention a wolf, would come in handy. I say you should do it."

Xar: "Alright, it shall be done. Now, leave, I'll show up in Old Bargate. I won't be in your mind until we reconnect physically, so beware of that. Best of luck to you."

Jhin: "Yeah, same."

Jhin opened his eyes in the real world and awoke from the slumber of the abyss.

Dorald: "Ah, just in time. We shall be in Old Bargate in a few minutes."

Jhin (sitting up and taking the blanket off of himself): "Great news."

Jhin grabbed his bag and stored all of his belongings back in it. Time flew past as Dorald loudly announced that they arrived at their destination. Jhin got off the cargo and proceeded to walk into the village.

Dorald (shouting): "Good luck, Jhin, hope your journey goes well."

Jhin: "Same here, old man."

Jhin waved back towards Dorald's cargo and proceeded to walk towards the village. The semi-large wooden gate was the entrance to this village and it definitely wasn't a rich one. The houses were very basic, standard wooden foundation and stone roofs with a rather dirty look all around. Jhin's main goal was to find Xar, and that was probably gonna be a difficult task since Xar didn't specify where Jhin was supposed to meet him at.

Jhin (thinking): "Well, this is gonna be difficult."

After a few minutes of wandering around aimlessly, Jhin arrived at a small well in the centre of the village. He didn't think much of it and walked right by it until he noticed that the back of the well had a rather interesting symbol on it. It was a symbol of a timber wolf. Jhin touched it and it began to glow as a silhouette of a wolf with a scar began emerging out of the symbol. Xar appeared moments later as an alive wolf. Jhin touched him and, sure enough, Xar managed to manifest himself in the real world.

***"Finally, waiting for a slow human is definitely not fun in any way."***

Jhin (thinking): "Maybe you could have given me a few hints before you left my mind."

***"That would have been a good option, yes, but as you've noticed, we're still talking through our minds, which means nobody will know that I am not an actual pet."***

Xar barked in the middle of their conversation.

Jhin (thinking): "Yeah, that works. Are our thoughts shared through our minds infinite range like before?"

***"Not infinite, but very long-ranged, we should be able to communicate through even the longest battlefields."***

Jhin: "Good to know, alright, let's make our way to the stables."

Jhin started to walk away from the well and to the other side of the village, while Xar quickly followed.

***"Are you certain there'd be a ride towards Zaun here?"***

Jhin: "Maybe, but even if there isn't one, we could find a ride towards another ride that will take us there."

***"Smart plan."***

Jhin and Xar eventually reached the other end of the village and found a few cargos with some signs in front of them.

Jhin (thinking and looking at the signs): "Demacia...Noxus...Freljord...Wait, Freljord? No sane person would take a cargo towards Freljord, especially in this condition."

***"Yeah, no kidding, that cargo is wrecked, like somebody jumped it or something. I'm surprised it's still up and ready to drive."**

Jhin: "Ah, here we go, Zaun. Price is...40 gold. Well, I suppose it is a longer ride than most others, so it makes sense."

Jhin walked up to a man standing next to the cargo and the man turned towards Jhin.

Jhin: "Excuse me, sir, are you the driver of this cargo heading to Zaun?"

Driver: "Yeah, I can take you there if you want to, it will take about 14 hours and 40 gold."

Jhin (taking out a few gold coins out of his pouch): "Here. Oh, can my dog get on as well?"

Driver (taking the coins): "If he doesn't poop all over my cargo, sure."

Jhin: "He won't, thank you very much."

Jhin boarded the cargo and Xar quickly jumped into the back. The driver boarded the cargo after a short amount of time and they were off. Not much could be said about this journey to Zaun besides the fact that there were no assassins on the road trying to kill Jhin, so the journey was rather pleasant. Jhin and Xar were having light conversations until they eventually made it to Piltover, a region geographically positioned right above Zaun. They had to pass the borders there and there wasn't much to talk about there either, the city was modern and it featured a remarkable mix between magic and technology. Piltover wasn't exactly small, so it took a bit of time before the trip would end, but eventually, Jhin and Xar made it to Zaun. As they crossed the border, Jhin prepared his bags and items and boarded himself off the cargo. Jhin quickly thanked the driver and passed the border with Xar as his pet. It would be a pretty easy task to find Viktor since Jhin knew where he would get hired. Viktor always mentioned he wanted to work at a certain workshop called 'Established Materials' which had all sorts of scrap, metal, bronze, etc. items and trinkets which people most likely needed in Zaun since it was a region specialized in collecting, recycling and using old forgotten materials. Jhin quickly found a map of the district he was in after entering through the main gates and navigated himself rather well. He found the workshop Viktor would now be working in after a few minutes of searching. He entered the store and noticed an old man on the counter. Viktor couldn't be seen anywhere so Jhin walked up to the counter.

Burd: "Good day, laddie, what can I for ya?"

Jhin: "Greetings, I'm looking for a man named Viktor, we're old friends. Does he work here?"

Burd: "Aye, sure. He's in the back, go right through that door and you'll see him doing some paperwork."

Jhin: "Thank you, sir."

Jhin walked past the counter and entered the room. Viktor turned around from his desk where there was a bunch of paperwork and a quill and inkwell next to his left hand and his eyes widened as he looked at his old pal.

Jhin (slightly chuckling): "You were always a paperwork man, friend."

***End of chapter 11.**

**It's a shorter one, but I wanted to publish Jhin and I think this chapter does not need more words than this. Hope you enjoy! :D***


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